Dried Apricots vs Dried Prunes – Which is Healthier?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Our Verdict
When comparing dried apricots to prunes, we picked the apricots.
Why?
First, let’s talk hydration. We’ve described both of these as “dried”, but prunes are by default dried plums, usually partially rehydrated. So, for fairness, on the other side of things we’re also looking at dried apricots, partially rehydrated. Otherwise, it would look (mass for mass or volume for volume) like one is seriously outstripping the other even if some metric were actually equal, just because of water-weight in one and not the other.
Illustrative example: consider, for example, that the sugar in a big bunch of grapes or a small handful of raisins can be the same, not because they magically got more sugar by some mysterious force of transmutation, but because the water was dried out, so per mass and per volume, there’s more sugar, proportionally.
Back to dried apricots and dried prunes…
You’ll often see these two next to each other in the heath food store, which is why we’re comparing them here.
Of course, if it is practical, please by all means enjoy fresh apricots and fresh plums. But we know that life is not always convenient, fruits are not in season growing in abundance in our gardens all year round, and sometimes we’re stood in the aisle of a grocery store, weighing up the dried fruit options.
So, let’s get to it…
In terms of macros, the dried apricots have a touch more fiber while the prunes have a tiny bit more carbs, but it’s so close that most reasonably this round should be considered a tie.
In the category of vitamins, dried apricots have more of vitamins A, B3, B5, B7, B9, C, and E, while prunes have more of vitamins B1, B2, B6, and K; a clear win for apricots by strength of numbers, though it’s worth noting that the vitamin K difference is considerable (19x more vitamin K).
Looking at minerals, dried apricots have more calcium, copper, iron, potassium, and selenium, while prunes have more magnesium, manganese and zinc, yielding a 5:3 win to apricots here.
Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for apricots, but by all means do enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Which Sugars Are Healthier, And Which Are Just The Same?
Enjoy!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Recommended
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
Spiked Acupressure Mat: Trial & Report
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Are you ready for the least comfortable bed? The reviews are in, and…
Let’s get straight to the point
“Laura Try” tries out health things and reports on her findings. And in this case…
- She noted up front that the claims for this are to improve relaxation, alleviate muscle pain, and improve sleep.
- It also is said to help with myofascial release specifically, which can improve flexibility and mobility (as well as contributing to the alleviation of muscle pain previously mentioned)
- She did not enjoy it at first! Shocking nobody, it was uncomfortable and even somewhat painful. However, after a while, it became less painful and more comfortable—except for trying standing on it, which still hurt (this writer has one too, and I often stand on it at my desk, whenever I feel my feet need a little excitement—it’s probably good for the circulation, but that is just a hypothesis)
- Soon, it became relaxing. Writer’s note: that raised hemicylindrical pillow she’s using? Try putting it under your neck instead, to stimulate the vagus nerve.
- While it is best use on bare skin, the effect can be softened by wearing a thin later of clothing between you and the mat.
- She got hers for £71 GBP (this writer got hers for a fraction of that price from Aldi—and here’s an example product on Amazon, at a more mid-range price)
For more details on all of the above and a blow-by-blow account, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
Fascia: Why (And How) You Should Take Care Of Yours
Take care!
Share This Post
-
How to live a long and healthy life, according to the ancients
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Just like in the modern world, people in ancient times wanted to know how to live a long and healthy life.
Greeks and Romans heard fantastic tales of far-away peoples living to well beyond 100.
Greek essayist Lucian (about 120–180 CE) writes:
Indeed, there are even whole nations that are very long-lived, like the Seres [Chinese], who are said to live 300 years: some attribute their old age to the climate, others to the soil and still others to their diet, for they say that this entire nation drinks nothing but water. The people of Athos are also said to live 130 years, and it is reported that the Chaldeans live more than 100, using barley bread to preserve the sharpness of their eyesight.
Greek essayist Lucian had lots to say about how to live a long and healthy life, as did ancient doctors. Library of Congress, Washington DC/Wikimedia This is how they thought this could happen.
Whatever the truth of these tales, many ancient Greeks and Romans wanted a long and healthy life.
Tyler Bell/Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA An ancient doctor’s perspective
Ancient doctors were interested in what people who lived long lives were doing every day and how this might have helped.
The Greek physician Galen (129–216 CE), for example, discusses two people he knew personally in Rome who lived to old age.
First, there is a grammarian (someone who studies and teaches grammar) called Telephus, who lived to almost 100.
According to Galen, Telephus ate just three times a day. His diet was simple:
gruel boiled in water mixed with raw honey of the best quality, and this alone was enough for him at the first meal. He also dined at the seventh hour or a little sooner, taking vegetables first and next tasting fish or birds. In the evening, he used to eat only bread, moistened in wine that had been mixed.
Galen also tells us Telephus had some bathing habits that might seem unusual to us today. Telephus preferred to be massaged with olive oil every day and only have a bath a few times a month:
He was in the habit of bathing twice a month in winter and four times a month in summer. In the seasons between these, he bathed three times a month. On the days he didn’t bathe, he was anointed around the third hour with a brief massage.
Second, there was an old doctor named Antiochus, who lived into his 80s.
According to Galen, Antiochus also had a simple diet.
In the morning, Antiochus usually ate toasted bread with honey. Then, at lunch, he would eat fish, but usually only fish “from around the rocks and those from the deep sea”. For dinner, he would eat “either gruel with oxymel [a mix of vinegar and honey] or a bird with a simple sauce”.
Alongside this simple diet, Antiochus went for a walk every morning. He also liked to be driven in a chariot, or had his slaves carry him in a chair around the city.
Galen also said Antiochus “performed the exercises suitable for an old man”:
There is one thing you should do for old people in the early morning as an exercise: after massage with oil, next get them to walk about and carry out passive exercises without becoming fatigued, taking into account the capacity of the old person.
Galen concludes that Antiochus’ routine probably contributed to his good health well into advanced age:
Looking after himself in old age in this way, Antiochus continued on until the very end, unimpaired in his senses and sound in all his limbs.
Galen stresses that Telephus and Antiochus had some obvious things in common. They ate just a few times a day; their diet was of wild meats, whole grains, bread and honey; and they kept active every day.
An eye exam is under way. But there was more to staying healthy in ancient times. Rabax63/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA What can you do?
Not all of us can live to 100 or more, as the Greeks and Romans were well aware.
However, Lucian offers us some consolation in his essay On Octogenarians:
On every soil and in every climate people who observe the proper exercise and the diet most suitable for health have been long-lived.
Lucian advised that we should imitate the lifestyles of people who have lived long and healthy lives if we want to do the same.
So, if you lived in Rome in the 2nd century CE, people like Telephus and Antiochus, who had a simple diet and kept active all their lives, would be good role models.
Konstantine Panegyres, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Share This Post
-
How to survive extreme cold
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Cold weather can be deadly, especially in places not used to extreme cold. A December 2024 study found that cold-related deaths have more than doubled between 1999 and 2022, with over 3,500 deaths reported in 2022.
Climate change doesn’t only mean rising temperatures; it also causes extreme weather, including extreme cold.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency defines extreme cold as “temperatures that are lower than historical averages to the point that it creates a dangerous environment for people, animals, and critical infrastructure.”
“There’s rightfully been a focus on heat deaths because of the context of global warming. But both can be true,” said Michael Liu, the study’s lead author, in a Washington Post article. “Cold-related deaths are still a public health risk.”
Cold weather-related injuries and deaths are preventable. Preparing ahead of time ensures you can stay safe when cold weather hits.
Stay informed
Following local news and weather reports will keep you aware of extreme weather in your area so you can plan accordingly. Many state and local governments provide emergency text and mobile app alert services.
The National Weather Service automatically sends English and Spanish Wireless Emergency Alerts related to weather emergencies to compatible cell phones. Although iPhones, Androids, and most smartphones are WEA-compatible, you may need to check your device’s settings to ensure they are turned on.
Make a cold weather kit
When planning for cold weather, prepare for the worst-case scenario. Extremely cold temperatures, snow, and ice can cause power outages, frozen or burst pipes, loss of wireless and cell signals, and hazardous driving conditions.
A cold weather kit for your home should include:
- A flashlight with extra batteries
- A first-aid kit
- Extra water and non-perishable food to last a few days
- Baby supplies, such as diapers and formula to last a few days
- Pet supplies, such as food and litter to last a few days
- Warm clothes and blankets
- Sufficient amounts of your prescription medications and special medical equipment
You may also wish to add a battery-powered NOAA weather radio in your kit. These radios, which can be purchased for as little as $20, allow you to receive weather updates during power and internet outages.
Experts recommend staying indoors and avoiding driving in extreme cold. If you must drive, make sure your car has a cold weather kit before the winter. In addition to the equipment in a home cold weather kit, the National Weather Service suggests that a winter car survival kit also include:
- Jumper cables
- Cat litter or sand for tire traction
- Shovel
- Ice scraper
- Blankets/sleeping bag and warm clothes
- Hand warmers
- Charged cell phone with a spare charger
- Basic tool kit
Become familiar with warming centers
Many cities offer warming centers for people who need short-term shelter during cold weather. Check nearby centers’ locations, operating hours, and pet policies in advance. If your local warming centers don’t accept pets, other locations, like kennels and vet clinics, may temporarily board pets.
Learn how to use heating and power devices safely
Many deaths in cold weather are not from cold temperatures but from fires and carbon monoxide poisoning from improper use of heaters and generators.
All living spaces should be equipped with working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, which should be tested monthly. Some fire departments provide free and low-cost detectors.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, heaters are the second leading cause of house fires.
“Space heaters are involved in more than 1,000 home fires across the country every year and factor into the vast majority of home heating-related deaths,” said former Department Of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas at FEMA’s 2024 #WinterReady Extreme Cold Summit.
Space heaters should never be left unattended, used around unsupervised children or pets, or left on overnight. They should be plugged directly into a power outlet, not power strips and extension cords. Additionally, they shouldn’t be operated on unstable or uneven surfaces.
The U.S. Fire Administration also recommends that you “keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from all heat sources including fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators, space heaters or candles.”
Generators and portable coal- or gasoline-powered power stations can help you stay warm and maintain power during outages. However, these devices should never be used indoors, as they produce deadly carbon monoxide. Generators should be set up outdoors, at least 20 feet from vents, windows, and doors.
Carbon monoxide poisoning can also be a risk when trying to stay warm inside a vehicle. To avoid this, never leave your car running inside a garage, even if the door and windows are open.
For more information about cold weather resources, check with your local government and FEMA and the National Weather Service.
This article first appeared on Public Good News and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Share This Post
Related Posts
-
Gut-Healthy Labneh Orecchiette
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Labneh (a sort of yogurt-cheese made from strained yogurt) is a great probiotic, and there’s plenty of resistant starch in this dish too, from how we cook, cool, and reheat the pasta. Add to this the lycopene from the tomatoes, the ergothioneine from the mushrooms, and the healthful properties of the garlic, black pepper, and red chili, and we have a very healthy dish!
You will need
- 10 oz labneh (if you can’t buy it locally, you can make your own by straining Greek yogurt through a muslin cloth, suspended over a bowl to catch the water that drips out, overnight—and yes, plant-based is also fine if you are vegan, and the gut benefits are similar because unlike vegan cheese, vegan yogurt is still fermented)
- 6 oz wholegrain orecchiette (or other pasta, but this shape works well for this sauce)
- ¼ bulb garlic, grated
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Large handful chopped parsley
- Large handful chopped dill
- 9 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- 9 oz mushrooms (your choice what kind), sliced (unless you went for shiitake or similar, which don’t need it due to already being very thin)
- 2 tsp black pepper, coarse ground
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- ¼ tsp MSG or ½ tsp low-sodium salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
Method
(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)
1) Cook the pasta as you normally would. Drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2) Combine the labneh with the garlic, black pepper, dill, parsley, and lemon juice, in a large bowl. Set aside.
3) Heat a little olive oil in a skillet; add the chili flakes, followed by the mushrooms. Cook until soft and browned, then add the tomatoes and fry for a further 1 minute—we want the tomatoes to be blistered, but not broken down. Stir in the MSG/salt, and take off the heat.
4) Refresh the pasta by passing a kettle of boiling water through it in a colander, then add the hot pasta to the bowl of labneh sauce, stirring to coat thoroughly.
5) Serve, spooning the mushrooms and tomatoes over the labneh pasta.
Enjoy!
Want to learn more?
For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:
- Making Friends With Your Gut (You Can Thank Us Later)
- Lycopene’s Benefits For The Gut, Heart, Brain, & More
- “The Longevity Vitamin” (That’s Not A Vitamin)
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
Occasional Drinking? 3x Risk Of Liver Scarring
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Fun thought for the day in 3 parts:
- “Occasional drinking” is often seen as healthy
- Binge-drinking often comes in the form of “occasional drinking”
- The Threshold For Binge-Drinking Is Lower Than Most Think
…and as we wrote in the above-linked article:
The term “binge-drinking” typically conjures images of people in the 18–22 age range (general figure; if we get geographic about it, then perhaps 21–25 in the US, or 15–21 in Europe) swinging around lampposts while very drunk, very loud, minimally-clothed, and liable to waking up somewhere new and exciting that they’ve never seen before.
But in fact, while definitions do vary a bit, a prevailing and representative scientific definition is:
❝consuming four or more standard drinks on one occasion for women and five or more standard drinks on one occasion for men❞
Learn more: Heterogeneity of definitions and measurements of binge drinking in research on adolescents and young adults
Now, that paper’s looking at research on adolescents and younger adults because that’s where most of the research is, but it doesn’t mean older adults are magically immune—quite the opposite!
One other quick thing…
Note that that “four standard drinks” is often only two drinks where each drink is a “double measure”, such as a double-shot of spirits or a large glass of wine.
This gets particularly relevant for those who “only drink on special occasions”, but then have several drinks.
Here’s a good example of that: You’d Better Watch Out: Why More Cardiac Deaths Happen On Dec 25 Than Any Other Day
So what’s this about liver scarring?
“Alcohol is bad for your liver” is something most people know, but often the actual mechanism at hand can remain a mystery. So, let’s demystify it a bit:
The liver is a remarkably self-regenerating organ; we wrote about it here: How To Unfatty A Fatty Liver
…but there’s more to it than that. Liver tissue is remarkably regenerative (cut away 49% of an otherwise healthy liver, and it’ll just regrow itself), but large alcohol doses (again, by the above definitions, not just by what most people think are large doses) at once can overwhelm your liver, increasing inflammation and accelerating fibrosis (scarring), particularly in already metabolically stressed livers.
Scar tissue is different from regular tissue in its structure and composition, and the same is true for scarred liver tissue, and that makes a difference, greatly reducing, if not outright halting, its regenerative ability.
Recent research (linked below) has found that even once-a-month binge-drinking (≥4 drinks for women or ≥5 for men in one day) was linked to a 3× higher risk of advanced liver fibrosis in people with metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD)*
*Formerly known as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), now it’s MASLD instead. Attentive readers may have noticed that there appears to be a D missing from the new acronym. We noticed that too, and were not able to find any explanation of why it’s not MDASLD However, you can read about why the change was made, and how the decision was agreed upon, here: A multisociety Delphi consensus statement on new fatty liver disease nomenclature
In any case, about 1 in 3 adults have MASLD, and over half of adults reported episodic heavy drinking.
This is a problem, because many guidelines focus on total weekly alcohol, but this study shows how you drink matters as much as how much you drink, with large single-session intake posing greater risk than spreading drinks out; indeed, in this case, people consuming the same total alcohol per week had worse liver outcomes when intake was concentrated into sessions of 4+ drinks.
You can find the paper itself, here: Episodic Heavy Drinking and Implications for Steatotic Liver Disease Nomenclature: A National Cross-Sectional Study
What to do about it?
First of all, know that it’s not too late:
What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Drinking Alcohol ← a realistic timeline of recovery
If you’d like to give your liver a helping hand, consider:
N-Acetyl Cysteine For The Liver & More
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
How Prehab Boosts Recovery After Surgery
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
…and other items from this week’s health science news:
Don’t wait until later!
Recovery from surgery can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be so bad: a randomized trial involving 164 patients aged 75 and older found that a four-week prehabilitation program before spinal fusion surgery reduced postoperative complications and improved recovery outcomes compared with standard care alone.
What this prehabilitation included: patients received a combination of strength training, balance exercises, flexibility work, cardiovascular conditioning, nutritional guidance focused on adequate calories and protein, and support for sleep, pain management, medication use, and psychological wellbeing.
To put the results in numbers, only about 75% of patients who completed prehab experienced at least one complication within three months of surgery, compared with more than 91% of patients who received only standard postoperative care, representing an 18% lower risk. Additionally, patients in the prehab group stayed in hospital for a shorter time after surgery, averaging 12 days compared with 14 days for those receiving standard care. Further, 68 of 79 prehab patients were able to get out of bed within 24 hours of surgery, compared with 55 of 80 patients in the standard-care group.
So, it’s not a magical panacea, but that’s still a relevant difference (imagine what you’d do for an 18% lower risk while you’re recovering!)
Read in full: Prehab can boost seniors’ recuperation from spinal fusion surgery, trial finds
Related: What To Eat, Take, & Do Before & After A Surgery
They can rebuild you; they have the technology
This one’s about SensoExo, a wearable system that combines a robotic hand exoskeleton with electrical nerve and muscle stimulation to help people with neurological hand impairments.
How the system works: a custom-fitted sleeve on the forearm delivers electrical stimulation to nerves and muscles through the skin, while sensors on the fingers detect touch and grip force and convert that information into stimulation patterns that provide artificial tactile feedback.
Why it matters: hand function depends not only on movement and strength, but also on touch sensation. After spinal cord injuries or brain injuries, people often lose both motor control and sensory feedback, making everyday tasks such as eating, dressing, and personal hygiene difficult.
This therefore means that the system can help users open and close their fingers through functional electrical stimulation, while also giving them information about how firmly they are gripping an object, something that is often lost after neurological injury, and something that has been a challenge for roboticists for decades, let alone cyberneticists doing enhancement tech for human bodies.
Read in full: Scientists develop wearable robotic system to restore hand function
Related: When a Hearing Aid Isn’t Enough ← we haven’t written much about cybernetic enhancements, so do pardon the more tenuous connection here as we didn’t have many to choose from, but cochlear implants are interesting too!
What’s going on with bird flu in cows
Birds and cows are not very alike. And it’s especially strange that the bird flu is being found in the cows’ milk, bearing in mind that birds are famously not mammals, and thus do not have breasts as we do (or udders, which are the same thing with a different name in non-human mammals such as cows) or produce milk.
So, what’s going on? In few words, researchers (Dr. Santhamani Ramasamy et al.) found that H5N1 preferentially binds to a glycan receptor subtype called N-linked sialic acid receptors. And, you guessed it, these receptors are abundant in the mammary glands of cows but (unusually for mammals) are largely absent from their airways, making the udder tissue highly susceptible while making the respiratory tract unusually resistant, unlike in humans.
Unfortunately, that is no help whatsoever to humans who drink raw milk, and promptly get the virus in their respiratory tract that does have the receptors that the virus binds to:
Read in full: Scientists find mechanism behind bird flu infections in dairy cattle
Related: Just How Infectious Is The Bird Flu In Cows’ Milk Anyway?
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
